Anyone know anything about M E or severe fatigue?

I'm getting married in 5 months and have just been signed off work for the next month because I'm suffering from severe fatigue. It has now been 3 thee weeks and I'm no better. I have never felt like this before and I am usually a VERY active person. My job may now not be safe as I have been asked to give a definate start back date which I'm unable to do because I'm ill and have not felt any better since this all started.
I thought I would ask on here jus on the off chance someone has been through a similar thing or knows of someone.
Many thanks

Hi Ms Milne,

I was diagnosed with M.E. when I was younger. I was ill for a quite a long time with it, but know it can last for a few weeks/ months as a sort of post viral fatigue or much longer as CFS/M.E. I am thankfully fully recovered now although I still have to watch that I don't over-exert myself.

The key is, as frustrating as it might be, not to push yourself if you're tired. Going back to work may be tempting to secure your job but it is likely to make you worse in the long run, if it is M.E. you are suffering from. My M.E. improved a lot when I established a really strict routine for getting up and going to bed, eating really regular balanced meals and taking regular vitamin supplements. It's really a case of being patient and trial and error though as it affects people differently.

Let me know if you want more information and I really hope you feel better soon xxx

There are LOTS of us on the Disabilities forum!
Head over there, and there are a few threads x

Gosh, thanks so much both of you. It's a great relief to know that I'm not on my own, although obviously I don't wish this on anyone! Thanks for the sound advice Durham Christmas, really glad you managed to get over it
xx

My nephew had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 2 years when he was 14 to 16. It was the most bizarre illness I have ever seen. He would get up for school, washed, dressed eat breakfast, wait for the bus and fall asleep and wake up at 4pm. He was permanently tired for 2 years and could hardly stay awake for more than a couple of hours at a time.
Eventually he started going back to school part time.
One day he woke up and said, it's over, I'm okay now. We all said, but how do you know, and he said I just know I'm okay. And he was.
The doctor had said that it would go away as swiftly as it came and in the end it did. It has never recurred 14 years later.
I have never seen anyone fall asleep like this, in the middle of sentence he could just nod off for hours at a time.

My mum had it for the first 9 years of my life, then again a couple of years later. Tbh it's probably why I'm not so close to her because she was never there when i was growing up. She got up about 8am, did things about the house or whatever, then slept between 2pm-4pm every day, then went to bed before 10pm. She was always lacking energy and achey. She had all sorts of treatments - acupuncture, medicine, whatever. In the end it was some new sort of counselling that got her over it cos apparently it's something to do with the brain. Can't remember what part of the brain mind you, though I'm tempted to say hypothalmus. I think she used to say something about reiki too. Sorry I'm not much help. It all sort of went over my head at the time and we never really talk about it now. It was nothing like the post above though with falling asleep suddenly all the time. Isn't that something different?

My brother had it after getting flu and never seemed to recover. He is OK now and it happened about 8-10 years ago. He was signed off work for a long period of time and did have a little trouble with them, but I think he resolved it and still works their today. He needed his doctor to help prove he really was ill, as they didn't believe him!

He's not as active as he was before he got it, but now lives a normal life and just has to be careful not to get too stressed or over do it. x

Your work cannot ask you for a definate return date as yet. You need to speak to the GP about how long you are likely to be signed off for. I believe ME and fatigue are covered by the Disabiltiy Discrimination Act and as such they need to be reasonable. And cannot make you lose your job if you have just developed something. If you have been signed off a month, you are signed off a month, and you see how you are and go back to GP to see if able to return to work. It could be worth checking the sickness policy. Do you work for a small company or local government etc

Hi,

Sorry to hear this my dear x I also have ME since well a very long time! Some people have it for a short period of time but its such a hard illness to determine these things and to correct it! Talk to a good doctor, look at alternative medicine and REST! The more you do the more it sets you back!

xxx

I've had M.E since the age of 16 and the one thing I would advise is to REST! When I first got ill I'd force myself to go to school and ended up making myself a lot worse. If you have a sympathetic GP then that will really help. Also, you could ask to be referred to a local M.E /CFS clinic if you have one nearby.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to the doctors again tomorrow as I am no better but I will stop fretting about work. I teach in a very challenging school so there is no way I can go back the way I am at the moment, it would kill me. I will have a look at the Disability Discrimination Act, thanks for that- I think they think I'm lying which makes me angry as I gave my life's blood for that job! xx

Hi Ms Milne

I was diagonsed a year ago with ME or CFS as they now prefer to call it. I was refferred to the local hospital for group sessions to teach me how to pace myself which really didn't work for me.

I have found that a really healthy diet (I became intollerant to lots of foods and alcohol because of it) helps.

The pacing & rest hasn't worked for me, not so much they don't work but they don't fit in with my life - I can't reduce my work hours etc as I was asked to do.

I have got into the habit of a rountine, same time to bed same time up - this is NOT easy, I literally have to force myself (or get my H2B to drag me) up! I then exercise again I have to force myself and although this is against everything I was advised it is help me and keeps me sane. I would love just for one day not to be tired anymore - good luck x

[Modified by: NickiP on March 19, 2010 08:09 PM]

Hi Mrs Milne

My mum suffers from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, so as well as being very tired she is also in a lot of pain a lot of the time. It was triggered really by years of pushing herself too much and some bad depression.

She hasn't worked since being diagnosed around 6 years ago, but she is so much better then she used to be so it's not as bad as it sounds. When she was first diagnosed she didn't sleep well despite being tired all the time so she was prescribed sleeping pills (amongst other things) which helped her to ensure she got enough uninterrupted sleep, she doesn't like takign them but knows (still) that if she's having a hard time she needs to to help her feel capable.

She also had counselling, psychotherapy along side various prescriptions from the doctor. She felt that the psychotherapy was really useful for her.

I want to point out that my mum was very bad, and had other conditions to deal with so I'm not saying you're definitely going to be ill for as long as she has been, but it will take you some getting used to. But if you take things easy for a little while and get used to knowing your limits and like the ladies above have said take care of yourself by eating well etc you'll learn how to manage your condition.

Good luck with everything! xx

Thanks girls. NickiP, which foods were you intolerant to? I haven't been able to touch a drop of alcohol since this started but I guess it's not such a bad thing. I don't think I'll be very good at pacing myself but routine sounds like a very good idea. I went into hospital last night because my left arm went completely dead and tingly but they sent me home after a few hours and suggested that I arrange a CT scan through my GP for piece of mind (even though neurologically there appears to be nothing wrong with me). Has anyone else had dead arms/legs? Also getting a very tight chest all the time, but doctors think it may be stress related. Considering I've never felt ill before in my life, it seems strange that I suddenly get these cocktail of symptoms but it seems that M.E has them all. Petrie2b I'm glad your mum has improved, some very sound advice there. It's amazing how many people are affected yet there is not much widespread acknoledgement
xx

HI,
My best friend suffered from post viral ME for 3 years but is now back on her feet, working full time and expecting her first child in May.
She found that cutting meat and dairy out of her diet helped enormously with her energy levels and also used lots of alternative therapies - crystals and reiki to name but a couple.
She has over the last 2 years got her life back together and as I said, works full time and although she has her tired days, she is generally coping very well and is now back to the person she was before the ME struck.
Try to stay positive and not to let it get you down - a positive attitude really helps too.
All the best x